An Unlikely Encounter
by MagicMoustache
Summary: A confused and lonely Jack Frost wanders into a forest outside of Burgess. He soon loses track of where he is going and ends up stranded and surrounded by towering trees on either side of him. A will o' the wisp appears before him and he decides to follow them, wondering where they will lead him. And you know what they say, will o'the wisps lead you to your fate.


**Hello everyone! So yeah, this is pretty random. I got this idea because I went to see ROTG a few days ago and I watched Brave with my family at Christmas and BOOM! This idea suddenly came to me. I hope you like it!**

Moonlight shone through the gaps between the branches, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor. Even though it was a cloudy night, the moon still shone brilliantly. No stars twinkled above as the clouds had covered them completely. Jack walked through the forest, tendrils of frost forming with each step he took. He grasped his wooden staff in his left hand, which scraped the path as he walked. Jack didn't know this forest. He tried to stay relaxed but he couldn't cease his blue eyes from darting all around the wood, taking in every pine needle that bordered the branches of the trees, every weed that sprouted up from the path below his feet and every ghostly shadow the moonlight had cast. With every step he took, his breathing began to speed up. He knew he shouldn't be afraid, but there was something strange about this forest trail that kept him on edge. Jack wasn't paying attention to where he was going so he didn't notice the large rock that was plonked in the middle of the path. His foot came in contact with the rock and it sent him flying through air before he landed quite roughly on his knees, his staff landing at a tree stump nearby. Cursing under his breath, Jack made to stand back up again until he saw something that made him froze his movements. There in front of him, was a tiny glowing orb, no bigger than the palm of his hand. It was transparent and looked like a tiny ball of blue smoke. Two swirls of smoke stretched out from the orb and seemed to beckon Jack towards it.

As if in a trance, Jack stood up slowly, picked up his staff and took one step towards the orb. As Jack neared the small orb, it disappeared before reappearing a few feet away, its bluish gleam lighting up the trail. Jack walked towards the orb once again, stretching his hand out towards it. As he made to grab it, the orb disappeared before reappearing once again, this time beside a large boulder. Jack decided to follow each orb as they reappeared and he was soon guided to a wide, open clearing. Jack looked around the clearing, looking for any clues as to why the glowing orbs had led him here. Tall trees that seemed to leer at him surrounded each side of the clearing, making Jack feel as though he were trapped. Frost began to coat the long grass below Jack's feet and it crunched beneath him as he wandered into the centre of the clearing. He looked around the clearing but he could not find any more orbs. Jack turned around, his grip tightening on his staff out of irritation. What were those things? Why would they lead him to an empty clearing? No matter how hard he tried, Jack was unable to comprehend it. Jack finally made the decision to get back on the trail and go back the way he came. He began to walk to the edge of the clearing towards the gap in the trees, feeling rather annoyed because the orbs had wasted his time. A light breeze ruffled Jack's hair and brushed against his cheek, although he did not feel the chill it should have carried. As Jack reached the parting in the trees, the breeze became stronger. The grass swayed as if someone had tied a string around each blade and was pulling them all as hard as they could. Strands of hair blew back from Jack's face, the breeze grazing his forehead. It rippled the thin material of Jack's clothes and caressed the skin of his ankles and his wrists.

Hundreds of orbs appeared before him and they all seemed to join together until they formed a figure that resembled a human. Jack's eyes widened and he tried to run, but his feet remained rooted to the spot. His breathing became more rapid and a heavy weight pushed on his chest. He tried to focus on the form before him. It obviously wasn't human, as it contained the same bluish glow the orbs had had and it was still more or less transparent. Slim fingers began to form on each hand that was now visible on the figure, slender arms and narrows shoulders were formed and a plain, white, ankle-length dress covered the delicate silhouette. Jack noticed that the ghostly form before him was a girl. Soft, transparent curls tumbled down her back, stopping in the centre of her shoulder blades. Round eyes, a button nose and a pair of thin lips were then carved into her pale face. As each feature was etched into her silhouette, she became more solid although she still maintained that bluish glow. She opened her eyes and Jack saw that her eyes were a brilliant blue, almost like his own. Jack felt as though his heart was about to leap out of his chest as the form seemed to glide towards Jack, stopping only when she was a few inches away from his face. Jack retreated as she edged towards him, a look of pure fascination etched onto her white face, until he fell over his feet and landed on his backside.

The girl bent down in front of Jack, her platinum curls swaying, even though the breeze was long gone. She reached a thin finger out towards Jack's hair, which was speckled with frost and seemed to glow in the gloomy night. The corners of the girl's mouth tugged up at the sides forming a very slight smile.

"Your hair is like mine," She whispered as she continued to stretch her hand towards his hair, which was indeed almost the exact shade of her own, although her hair colour was a more ghostly shade of white whereas Jacks could have been compared to freshly fallen snow. Jack let out a sharp gasp as the girl's delicate hand passed right through his hair, as if it were made of smoke. It reminded him of the way the people in the village walked straight through him, oblivious to his existence but this girl could obviously see him. Jack heaved himself up off the ground and the girl rose up with him, still gazing at him intently. Jack found this rather creepy, as she hadn't blinked once since she appeared in the remote clearing.

"Are you lost?" She inquired, her voice echoing around the clearing. Jack noticed that she had a string tied around her neck with a charm that was placed at her collar bone. What the charm was, he couldn't tell but he knew it wasn't an ordinary charm like a star or a heart. Jack was so caught up in trying to guess what the charm around her neck was that he forgot to answer her question.

"Are you mute? Can you even hear me? You're deaf aren't you?" With each question she took a step forward and this time Jack did not back away. They were both at eye level and Jack could see himself reflected in her wide eyes.

"I can hear you. I'm not mute, either. Yeah, I'm lost. I don't know where I am and I don't know where I'm going." Jack explained to her and she nodded slightly after he spoke each word.

"I can help you get back on the trail, if you like," She offered, sweeping a lock of hair behind her ear, "I know the woods like the back of my hand." Jack thought it was odd how her hand didn't simply fall through her hair like it did when she touched his. Jack thought for a few moments. The girl who stood in front of him obviously wasn't human, so what was she? Could she be a fairy? But Jack couldn't any wings fluttering behind her. An elf? But from what Jack could see, her ears weren't pointed.

"What are you?" Jack asked, a harsh tone creeping into his voice. The girl could obviously sense the harshness in his voice because she winced. A pang of guilt suddenly spread across Jack's chest and he suddenly became aware of how tight his grip was on his staff. His knuckles should have been turning white by now. He relaxed his grip on his staff as the girl began to speak.

"I'm a Will o' the Wisp. I lead people to their fate, no matter how bad it is. I've sent some people spiralling off a cliff before." Jack shoulders tensed at this statement. He really did not want to be sent tumbling off a cliff. He knew he shouldn't have followed those orbs.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on doing that to you," She assured him and Jack let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing.

"What were those…things? The things that led me here," He asked, desperately wanting to know what those orbs were and why they led him here and why they formed her.

"Oh you mean these?" The girl opened her hand and there in her palm was one of the little blue orbs, "They're wisps. I send them out and they help me lead people to their fates."

"Wow" was all Jack could manage. Jack raised his head slightly to look the girl in the eyes. She was very pretty, he thought. Her hair framed her delicate face perfectly and fan-like eyelashes outlined her deep, blue eyes. Even though she was somewhat transparent, Jack could see light freckles dotting her cheeks.

"What's your name?" Jack asked her after he was finished taking in the little details that were etched into her face. Puzzlement knitted the girl's brows together and she tilted her head to the left.

"My name?" She repeated, pursing her lips, "I don't know. No traveller has ever asked me for my name before…What's your name?"

"Jack Frost. Well, that's what the moon told me," He told her, chuckling nervously.

"The Man in the Moon?" She asked, suddenly perking up, "I know him. He doesn't say much." She gave a low laugh before turning to look at the moon behind her. Its light shone right through her.

"Listen, I need you to help me find my way back. I don't know where to go. Will you do that?" Hope was evident in Jack's voice as he asked the girl. Her expression faltered slightly before she answered him.

"If you're looking to get back to village, you go straight through there," She gestured to the gap in the trees behind them, "Keep going straight until you come to a large boulder and then turn left. If you keep going straight, you'll come to an opening and you can enter the village through there." She smiled at him even though a mixture of sadness and disappointment were clear in her wide eyes.

"Thank you," Jack ginned. He went to put a hand on her shoulder but then he remembered that his hand would simply pass through it. He awkwardly put his hand back by his side. "It was, uh, nice to meet you." He ran a hand through his hair.

"You too," She smiled, "I hope we'll meet again, Jack Frost."

Jack didn't hear her final statement as he was already halfway to the gap in the trees. A light breeze rustled his hair as he approached the opening. He turned around; hoping to catch one last glimpse of the girl but the clearing was entirely empty. The grass was still swaying with the wind, the leaves in the trees were still rustling together, the moonlight still cast eerie shadows on the ground below but the mysterious, transparent girl with the bluish glow who stood in the centre of the clearing only a few moments ago was gone.


End file.
